Celtic boss Neil Lennon: Tom Rogic is fit for Lazio clash

Tom Rogic’s injury problems appear to be a thing of the past as Neil Lennon confirmed his availability for tomorrow night.

Rogic made his return from injury against Ross County on Saturday. Despite not grabbing a goal, it was a productive 90 minutes for him vs the Staggies. He was at the heart of many promising attacks, and didn’t look like a passenger in any way.

However, one of the noticeable trends of the Brendan Rodgers era was how much he didn’t enjoy giving Rogic 90 minutes. He often decided to only play him for around an hour before subbing him off. Therefore, question marks regarding how he came through the County game are worth asking.

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Tom Rogic is back in the fold once again (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

But Lennon has confirmed that, if necessary, Rogic is available to be selected. Speaking at his press conference via Celtic’s official YouTube account, here’s what Lenny had to say in his injury update.

“Ntcham is still unfit and we are hoping he’ll be fit for the weekend. Rogic was training today and should be fine. Having Christie back is a big boost. He’s had a very good season so far and is in contention for tomorrow.”

Rogic’s fitness is a plus, but Christie likely to start

It’s great to have Rogic back in the fold ahead of the winter period. Despite the fact Ryan Christie is probably likely to start tomorrow, Rogic gives us the option of a top-class replacement.

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Celtic travel to Pittodrie on Sunday, where Christie will be suspended. Therefore, you have to imagine that Rogic will start that game in the number 10 position. You can’t rule out Olivier Ntcham perhaps being pushed forward too – Lenny can be unpredictable like that – but it appears to be Rogic’s jersey on Sunday.

It seems logical to keep Rogic for Sunday (Francois Nel/Getty Images)

Therefore, it would be a huge risk giving Rogic three games in the space of just over a week. Remember, he played the full 90 against County last Saturday. If he starts against Lazio and then features vs Aberdeen, that’s a lot of football for someone just returning from injury.

Christie, meanwhile, will be hungry and itching to get back into it. His red card against Livingston may be firmly in our rear-view mirror. For Christie himself, however, he’ll be desperate to make up for it.

David is a keen writer who's always looking to engage readers in his content. He has a strong knowledge of Scottish and English football - writing content on the Scottish game since the beginning of his studies in 2014.